Decades later, Superman’s importance, values live on
June 12 marks Superman Day where fans of all ages can celebrate the Man of Steel. Video provided by Chuck Snyder/Special to The Delaware News Journal. 6/1/22
Damian Giletto, Delaware News Journal
Superman fans are leaping buildings in a single bound over seemingly leaked photos from the upcoming movie, with a few images suggesting Metropolis is officially set in Delaware.
While James Gunn’s “Superman” has been filming in Ohio this week, alleged set photos featuring the Delaware flag have surfaced on multiple social platforms.
On June 26, the Delaware Reddit page featured a post by redditor vtrip22, showing a picture of what appears to be a camera operator filming next to the colonial-blue Delaware flag.
The redditor’s caption read: “Set photos reveal that Metropolis will be set in Delaware, in the comics Metropolis was set in Delaware.” He also claimed the pictures were shot in Ohio. “These photos are from sets in Cleveland. I don’t think they are filming in Delaware but we’ll see.”
On June 20, the Instagram superhero page DCU Updates posted what appears to be an alternate image of the same camera operator, this time zoomed in to show more detail of what clearly looks like the Delaware seal on the flag.
The DCU Updates’ post was captioned: “DCU Metropolis is in Delaware!” The post warmed the heart of one IG user who declared, “I’m so happy. I miss Delaware all of a sudden.”
Wait, how is Superman from Delaware?
The Man of Steel has technically been from the Small Wonder for at least 30-plus years. This piece of trivia is based on a map published by Mayfair Games in 1990 that’s part of The Atlas of the DC Universe, a supplemental piece for a DC role playing game (RPG).
The map located Batman’s home of Gotham City in South Jersey, while placing Superman’s home of Metropolis in an unspecified area of Kent County, Delaware.
In 2022, Joe Murray, owner of Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, told Delaware Online/The News Journal that many people aren’t aware of Superman’s ties to Delaware.
“I don’t think that it’s public knowledge. That is a very deep dive, nerd thing to know,” Murray said in the 2022 interview, adding he didn’t think Metropolis being set in the Small Wonder was canon in DC books at the time of his interview.
Ohio, Illinois and Kansas — where is Superman from?
The character is celebrated as the world’s first superhero and is claimed by multiple states outside of Delaware.
For years, Illinois has claimed the Man of Steel because they have a real city named Metropolis, which was founded in 1839, nearly 100 years before Superman was created, per Illinois Public Media.
The city also is home to the famous 15-foot-tall Superman statue and the Super Museum, which hosts Superman-themed memorabilia.
The reason the new “Superman” movie is probably being shot in the Ohio area, including Cleveland, is because the Man of Steel’s creators, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, are from Cleveland.
Superman’s origin story is he’s an alien from planet Krypton. His birth name is Kal-El. Once his parents learn their planet will be destroyed, he’s sent to live on planet earth, where he arrives in the fictional Smallville, Kansas, before he grows up and moves off to the big city in the fictional Metropolis.
What’s the new ‘Superman’ movie about?
Gunn’s new “Superman,” which was previously titled “Superman: Legacy,” will be the first big project in he and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe.
The cast includes Philly native David Corenswet as the Superman. While many details haven’t been announced about the film, we do know it includes Superman’s crime-fighting cousin Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), plus fellow superheroes like Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion).
Other notable cast members include Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), Perry White (Wendell Pierce) and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo).
IMDB’s description of the film says the project “Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American Way in a world that views this as old-fashioned.”
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When is the new ‘Superman’ in theaters?
The film is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025. Meanwhile, time will tell if Delaware is officially part of the Superman canon in the movie.
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
